Clark adds ex-RCMP officer to cabinet

Premier Christy Clark has appointed Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris, a long-time RCMP officer, to the cabinet as public safety minister.

Morris was sworn in Friday at the cabinet office in Vancouver, returning the B.C. government to a system where the public safety minister is responsible for police and prisons, while the justice minister is responsible for courts and Crown prosecutors.

Justice Minister Suzanne Anton has performed both roles since her election as MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview in 2013. Clark merged the two roles in 2012, appointing veteran cabinet minister Shirley Bond to the combined role to review the efficiency of the court system.

“Mike Morris brings strong experience to the executive council as a 32-year veteran of he RCMP and a former North District superintendent,” Clark said in a statement. “Suzanne Anton will continue to spearhead the work to accelerate access to justice, continue justice innovation and will be British Columbia’s lead on the federal government’s Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.”

Morris, elected in 2013, was assigned last July to make recommendations for new penalties for distracted driving and careless smoking that ignites forest fires.